327 fed levergun????

[TMD]

I am glad someone is jumping on the 327 bandwagon. I was hoping Ruger would step up to the plate with a 77/327 bolt action rifle since they are single handily keeping the 327 in existence.

Considering Ruger just discontinued pistol calibers in the model 77 it's doubtful.

[FrankenMauser]

...Not just pistol 'calibers'.
They discontinued the entire 77/-- line.

Even the rimfire and .22 Hornet models are gone.

[A pause for the COZ]

Got me one.. Well sort of.
I just finished paying off a lay A Way on a 300 Black out Ruger American rifle.
I asked about the Henry in 327 magnum when they become available.
He said he has two of them on order but they are not ready to ship as yet.
But I could put it on lay away now and pay it off after they start to ship them.
Works for me!!!
Only because they have provided what they said they would and I have paid what I said I would when I said I would.

[TruthTellers]

So, ballistically between .327 Fed Mag and .357 Mag, what are the pros and cons of each? I'd imagine that the .327 is going to have a flatter trajectory and be a better small game rifle than a .357 would be if shot from a rifle.

[saleen322]

As soon as the 327s are shipped I plan on getting one. This combination, lever rifle in 327 magnum, made too much sense someone had to produce it.

[ShootistPRS]

The 327 Federal is being introduced at a slightly lower pressure than the 357 was originally so It might be down graded to 33000 psi in the future although it doesn't have near the recoil velocity of the 357 mag which was the reason S&W asked to have the SAAMI pressure dropped - twice.

It won't displace the 357 but I believe there is a large population to absorb the new round (ok, it's not exactly a new round). Turkey guns in carbine and hog guns in full rifles are possible if the right bullet weights are available. If more manufacturers don't start making ammo available and more gun manufacturers don't make guns for it we might see it go away fast.

Let's face it, the idea of a shared round between a carbine/rifle and pistol has always held a place in the heart and mind of shooters in America.

[saleen322]

The 327 Federal is being introduced at a slightly lower pressure than the 357 was originally so It might be down graded to 33000 psi in the future ...

The SAMMI 327 magnum MAP has always been 45,000 PSI. Current 357 magnum is 35,000 PSI. The 357 magnum was 45,000 on the old CUP scale but that is lower when measured on the current Piezoelectric Transducer Pressure system that measures in PSI.

[P Flados]

In a rifle (even a short 16" version), the 327 should really shine. With the SAMMI 327 MAP of 45,000 PSI, loading can effectively use primer appearance to judge approaching limits. The longer barrel allows high pressure loads without all the "atomic fireball" muzzle blast you get from a short handgun. The extra length will also allow all of that high peak chamber pressure to get translated into muzzle velocity.

Some worry about the high pressure rating, but the small diameter really does make a difference and it keeps the stresses low on the barrel and reciever.

For overall "general purpose" pistol cartridge lever gun use, the 357 and 44 are still tops. However, for simple fun shooting or for small game harvesting, a 32 just sounds so right. I can argue that a 32 H&R is a better choice for some (where lower power loads are the primary use), but the 327 in a rifle really does have the potential for more effective range in the field.

[TMD]

https://www.henryrifles.com/rifles/henry-big-boy-steel/

Well its official, shipping March 17.

[samsmix]

The usefulness of this rifle/cartridge combo kind of escapes me. A bit light for deer, and a bit much for rabbits, squirrels, or turkeys. I guess it would be good for Javelina, but that's a pretty niche market.

I like the idea, I think, but what's it for?

[saleen322]

For comparison from my revolvers: 5.5" Blackhawk in 327 magnum, a 120 grain bullet with a sectional density of 0.176 does 1590 fps for 674 ft/lbs of energy. 6" 357 magnum, 158 grain bullet with a sectional density 0.177 does 1412 fps for 700 ft/lbs of energy. 44 magnum, 240 grain bullet with a sectional density of 0.186 does 1358 fps for 983 ft/lbs of energy. All of these bullets have sufficient sectional density for good penetration.

By going from a 5.5" barrel to a 20" barrel, if you gain about 320 fps (a conservative guess), then you would have 972 ft/lbs of energy or about the same energy as my 44 magnum revolver with a 240 grain bullet. So if you think a 44 magnum revolver is enough for deer, you should fine with a 327 mag rifle. YMMV

[mehavey]

Are we all ignoring the long established
30 carbine for any particular reason?

[TruthTellers]

The usefulness of this rifle/cartridge combo kind of escapes me. A bit light for deer, and a bit much for rabbits, squirrels, or turkeys. I guess it would be good for Javelina, but that's a pretty niche market.

I like the idea, I think, but what's it for?

Use .32 S&W Long and it's perfect for squirrel or rabbit. Use .32 H&R Magnum for fox, possum, woodchuck, or small boar.

[ballisti]

Are we all ignoring the long established 30 carbine for any particular reason?

Same reason we are ignoring the much longer established 32-20:

This discussion is about the 327 Federal Magnum.

[mehavey]

Why do I need a new cartridge when there's one already in existance?

[FrankenMauser]

You don't.


We do.



What's the point in arguing about this, yet again, in a thread where it really isn't on-topic, anyway?

[mehavey]

Well..... THAT certainly explains it.
I'll watch it's longevity w/ interest.

[Dranrab]

I wish I had kept all the oddball guns I had bought that didn't have a long production life. If my 327 suffers a similar fate I'll smile as the value skyrockets.

[mehavey]

I gotta tell 'ya...

I'm truly hard-pressed to se the need for the cartridge in the middle when
the two on either end already exist/have existed for a combined 200 years.

Talk about reinventing the wheel....

But y`all have fun now, 'heah?

[TruthTellers]

Alright mehavey, I'm game to put you in your place.

I'll start with .32-20 Winchester. The .32-20 hasn't had a production rifle or revolver made in decades and I can say I haven't seen a .32-20 firearm or ammunition for sale at a gun show or store in 3 years. Why bother buying a .32-20 when it's already on the road to being obsolete? Besides, unlike .327, it can't shoot the more popular .32 S&W Long or other .32 S&W family cartridges. Hell, it can't even shoot .32 ACP. If I wanted to do some shooting and not be forced to make some handloads, I'm pretty much SOL with .32-20 and if I do find some, I'm paying big $ to buy that ammo.

You can say that if manufacturers made more guns in .32-20 that it would be more popular, but that's not the case and there's a reason why: because the gun companies know that .327 is better.

As for .30 Carbine, there is one or two revolvers available in that chambering and they're both Single Actions. Oh, that's just great that I get one choice that's pretty unimpressive in a revolver's shorter barrel.

The one thing that the .30 Carbine has over the .327 is there are more rifles made for it and the performance is decent, but I'm not buying a .327 or a .30 Carbine just to shoot in a rifle. So in that regard, the .327 is a more versatile cartridge, but the rifles are not as available.

As time goes by, S&W, Charter, Taurus, and others will offer .327 revolvers again, just like Ruger did and the .327 will become more popular and common than .41 Magnum is today.

[Cosmodragoon]

Why do I need a new cartridge when there's one already in existance?

Because the other ones won't share cartridges with my SP101 or LCR. The .327 already shines as a reasonably powerful six-shooter on those platforms. Now it gets to shine as a Henry.

So while you might not need it, you might want to try it. Who knows? You might even like it.

[Deadheadfred]

When I first learned that Henry had listened to my pleas for a .327 lever gun, I wanted one last week.
I had been contacting Henry, Marlin, Rossi, Winchester, and anyone else I could think of to beg them to produce this rifle.
My first .327 was a Taurus 2" snubby, and I simply fell in love with the cartridge.
My next .327 was the newer version of the Ruger SP101 with a 4.2" barrel.

I looked EVERYWHERE trying to locate a Henry Big Boy steel.
No luck, and no distributor would give me any information about shipping dates.
I was determined to get one of the first run Henry's that were to be released in .327, so I emailed Mr. Anthony Imperato to ask for help.

In less than 48 hours, I had a reply from Mr. Imperato himself.
He gave me the name and email address of a very nice lady in Rice Lake Wisconsin.
She would assist me in finding my Henry.

The very next day Deb, from Henry emailed me with a few questions.
Who was my preferred FFL (name and contact info.)
Who was his preferred distributor?
Which model EXACTLY did I wish to purchase?

I supplied her with the answers she needed, and the wait began...
A few weeks went by, and I heard nothing.
I emailed Deb and asked for an update.
Shipping was being delayed for "a couple of weeks".
More weeks went by, and no word, so I emailed Deb again.

Production issues had once again delayed distribution...
I was getting antsy now.
He had not asked, but I had offered, and had given my FFL a $500 cash deposit for the Henry because I didn't want him to have to tie up his funds for an unknown time.

A few weeks later still andI finally received an email telling me my new Henry would ship by weeks end!
I was on cloud 9.

When it arrived, I had already amassed some 500 rounds of factory ammo, because I had the 2 revolvers.
I had dies and projectiles, but relying on factory once-fired cases until Star-Line stepped up.

I have been watching the internet talk about the .327 round.
Many just love the round.
Some are just so-so, and others couldn't be less interested.
Many seem to think that the round won't stay around long.

As a matter of fact, there has been quite a bit of talk about how some believe the .327 is already on it's way out.
I decided to make an investment, so I bought a double for my Henry .327.
I now have two Henry Big Boys in .327 Federal magnum.

Well, I for one, will be shooting the .327 Federal magnum for years to come
Time will tell if I decide to sell the duplicate.
That depends on the market, but my first one is home to stay.

[Dranrab]

For those who are suggesting the 327 Federal as a deer cartridge, what bullet would you use?

[mehavey]

Originally Posted by TruthTellers

The .32-20 hasn't had a production rifle or revolver made in decades
and I can say I haven't seen a .32-20 firearm or ammunition for sale
at a gun show or store in 3 years.

Been to Cabela's lately? It's FULL of 32-20 ammunition ... at least a full shelf/6 brands and various loadouts. Brass ? It's all over the place. Midway/Cabelas/Midsouth, et al -- and Starline to boot.

As to no production rifles, I picked up a Ducks Unlimited/Marlin 32-20 at GreenTop 18 months ago, near unfired. Flawless function. Since then I've seen at least a dozen at the Nation's Gunshow. In fact... it's the 327 Fed that seems ghosted.

Performance? The 32-20 has 16% greater case capacity and therefore handloads meet/exceed 327 ballistics for considerably less pressure.
And remember -- the case is just fine for high-pressure/M1 Carbine-like loads in Carbine-rated actions -- like the `94Marlin and the Ruger 30-Carbine.

So if ...
(a) you're a handloader; and
(b) see a 32-20 Marlin...

Buy it


.

[Deadheadfred]

I gave $647 for my new Henry .327.
Please show me ANY .32-20 for even CLOSE to that price, AND in decent condition.

Go ahead, I'll wait...